Blue Mountains noms

I have just spent a lovely weekend in the Blue Mountains. The mountains are a haven for all kinds of alternative lifestyle types, but unfortunately there's not a lot of vegan noms on offer. There have been a couple of vegetarian cafes up there in the past, but I think the last one closed down a few years ago.

Lunch on day one was a picnic in the middle of one of our walks. After walking for a couple of hours this sourdough pumpkin seed roll with falafel, hummus & olives was unexpectedly delicious.

That night we headed into Katoomba for dinner & after walking the main street and checking all the menus for potential vegan fare, we decided on Cafe Zuppa. It had a promising listing of vegetarian mains. Sadly, none of those were vegan-friendly, but the staff were quite friendly & helpful about it. I chose the vegetarian pasta (no cheese). This was a huge bowl of tasty fettucine smothered with semi-dried tomatoes, artichokes, olives, eggplant & onion. Not mind-blowing, but tasty & very filling.

After dinner we stopped off at The Carrington for a drink. This gorgeous hotel has only recently reopened after extensive restoration work. I could easily have sat in front of the fire all night, but eventually we had to make our way home.

The next day we picked up some lunch at the Leura Markets. There was a mexican food stall with a clearly advertised vegan wrap. I love supporting businesses that make it easy for vegans so I happily tried one. It was really tasty - the tomato & bean mix was pleasantly spiced & topped up with lentils, zucchini & eggplant. Along with a simple fresh salad & nicely toasted flat bread it was the perfect antidote to the cold winds that were blowing through the mountains that day.